


Billy Knows

by WakingNightmares



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Child Abuse, Domestic Violence, Gen, Stream of Consciousness, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-17
Updated: 2019-08-17
Packaged: 2020-09-06 06:21:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20286820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WakingNightmares/pseuds/WakingNightmares
Summary: Billy knows.Even as he grabs Max’s arm, digging his fingers in hard enough that she’ll probably have bruises tomorrow, he knows.“You can’t hang out with him anymore, Max,” He says, his voice quiet, but they both recognize the dangerous undercurrent in his words. “You understand?”She rolls her eyes at him, before turning to glare out the window. She doesn’t understand. She doesn’t know.But Billy knows.





	Billy Knows

Billy  _ knows _ .

Even as he grabs Max’s arm, digging his fingers in hard enough that she’ll probably have bruises tomorrow, he  _ knows _ .

“You can’t hang out with him anymore, Max,” He says, his voice quiet, but they both recognize the dangerous undercurrent in his words. “You understand?”

She rolls her eyes at him, before turning to glare out the window. She doesn’t understand. She doesn’t  _ know _ .

But Billy  _ knows _ .

  
  


It’s not anger that drives him. It’s not rage.

It’s  _ fear _ .

When Max first started learning how to skateboard, back when their parents had first gotten together, she’d fallen, and broken her arm.

There was literally  _ shit-all _ Billy could’ve done about it. He’d been standing by the fence, since non-skaters weren’t allowed in - _ a safety hazard  _ -smoking a cigarette he’d bummed from one of the older boys.

He’d been watching her. He’d even felt a little proud, although he never would have admitted it, even back then. His nine year old sister was outskating a lot of the older boys. He’d watched, that same pride niggling in his chest, as she went up the ramp.

And before he knew what was happening, she was airborne. Her skateboard went straight up as she smacked into the concrete of the ramp.

Billy was over the fence before she’d finished rolling to the bottom. He’d had her scooped up, whispering what comfort he could, before the first cry had left her lips.

But when he’d seen the bone sticking up, just below her elbow, he’d frozen. Even as the other kids shouted that the ambulance was on its way, he’d been unable to move. Unable to loosen his grip.

Neil was going to fucking kill him.

He’d ridden with her to the hospital. Given the nurses at the front desk Neil and Susan’s information, and filled out the hospital forms as best he could. Not because he didn’t know the information, but because the shaking in his hand made it difficult to hold the pen.

Because the tears that he refused to let fall were clouding his vision, making it difficult to read.

The shaking had only gotten worse when Neil and Susan arrived. He’d stammered his way through an explanation, leaving nothing out.

Susan had given him a quivering smile, laying her hand on his head. Told him she understood, these things happen, her voice catching a bit, before the nurse had taken her back to see Max.

The moment she was out of eye sight, Neil had grabbed his arm. His thick fingers had dug in, hard enough that Billy knew there would be bruises.

He hadn’t said anything. Of course, nothing really needed to be said, did it?

Susan had stayed over night with Max in the hospital.

Billy didn’t remember much about that night, after Neil and him had gotten home. He still has the L shaped scar behind his left ear, nearly an inch long, that he got when he hit the edge of the coffee table.

Neither Susan or Max had ever asked about the dust-colored stains on the living room carpet when they’d gotten home.

And Billy never took Max back to the skatepark.

  
  


“Where’s your sister?”

“How’s your sister?”

“Anything happen to your sister?”

“You were supposed to pick her up from school, Billy.”

“It was just a skinned knee, what if it had been worse, Billy?”

“You’ve got responsibility as her older brother, Billy.”

“If you’d just watch her like I ask, none of this would’ve happened, Billy.”

_ Yes sir. Yes sir. I know sir. I’m sorry sir. Yes sir. _

An endless litany that does nothing to save him, but does seem to lessen the fallout.

  
  


When Billy gets in his first accident, Max is in the car. It’s not Billy’s fault, the guy ran the red and t-boned them, but it doesn’t matter.

The cops figure he’s panicking because his collarbone is broken, and honestly… Billy kind of wants to laugh at that. A broken collarbone will be the least of his problems when Neil finishes with him, and he _knows_ it. Never mind that he’d tried begging off of picking Max up; never mind that he’d been doing everything right. Never mind that he’d been the one hurt, that the fucker had plowed into Billy’s side of the car. Never mind that Max was absolutely fine, just a little shook up.

Billy hadn’t been able to get out of bed for almost two days by the time Neil was done.

  
  


He’d tried to love Susan and Max. He’d hoped Susan would make his dad happy again, and he’d always wanted a little brother or sister.

But Susan _knew_. Susan knew like Billy _knew_.

And Max… well, Max didn’t _know_.

And Billy paid the price.

  
  


Billy doesn’t understand why Neil hates the Sinclair boy so much. He’d never had a problem with blacks before, but suddenly Neil seems deadset on making sure Max is never seen within spitting distance of the kid.

Of course, enforcing that becomes Billy’s responsibility.

But Max doesn’t _know_. She doesn’t _know_ what will happen when she gets caught with Lucas Sinclair. She doesn’t _know_ why Billy’s got a stick up his ass about this one boy in particular.

And Billy pays the price for her ignorance. Every time she sneaks out, every time she comes home late… Hawkins brought out the wild child in her, and Billy is the one who suffers. He’d never been more bruised than that first month in Hawkins, when Max decided that this one stupid kid needed to be her best friend.

It gets bad enough that he actually tries to reason with Neil. Tries to explain to him that  _ he’s trying, sir _ ,  _ but she won’t listen _ . He pleads with broken fingers, tears leaking through swollen eyes,  _ what am I supposed to do? _

She won’t listen, and Billy pays the price.

He _knows_ he can’t take it out on Max; if he lifted a finger against the golden child, Neil would fucking bury him. The thought of it literally sends a blast of ice through Billy’s veins, unable to even imagine the pain that Neil would put him through.

But he can take it out on the kid. He can make Lucas Sinclair and his little band of nerds afraid of Max. If he can make them afraid of Max, then Max can hate him all she wants… But Billy might actually be able to sleep without bruises for once.


End file.
